Music Traditions in North America

This course examines the performance and reception of operas in the Americas between 1750 and 1950. Following the migration of singers, musicians, dancers, and other practitioners after the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions, as well as the California Gold Rush, the performance of opera outside the European metropole is a fascinating way to engage in the history of migration, assimilation politics, and historical performance practice in displacement. In this course, we will trace the genre's development and its effect on national identity in America, the Caribbean, Canada, and South America.